First! Before you begin…print off THESE PAGES for reference, practice, tracing…whatever along the way ; )
And save THIS LINK so you can always have quick access to the Vimeo Group where all the videos for this series live. The password for all videos in this series is sketchysketch. Please do not share the password.
OK!!! Off we go!
i LOVE sketching characters. i have sketchbooks full of faces, and cartoon kids in fun outfits, monsters, animals, and of course, characters inspired by my kids. If i’ve got a pencil in my hand and some free time, i just naturally default to people ….or flowers-haha!(but that’s a whole other workshop). Sometimes i combine my pencil sketches with color, like this:
But much of the time, i just love the sketchy, pebbly texture of pencil on paper, like this:
SO, this workshop will be my very best effort to summarize my process for creating fun characters in this loose, sketchy style with just plain old pencil and paper. i will give you some basics of drawing somewhat “accurate” figures first. After all, it’s always best to know some rules before you venture out and break them. As we progress through the lessons, i’ll show you some drawings that take artistic license to stylize the characters with a bit less regard to anatomical correctness. Finally, we’ll touch on a few non-human characters that are super-fun to dream up and will really rev up your creativity.
As a little prep for the main lessons, i wanted to start with 2 sketch examples that really encapsulate my process with every single character drawing i do. This formula never lets me down. i always begin with a VERY fast stick figure. It is so much easier to rough in a pose, position of the hands and legs, tilt of the head in stick figure form than if you tried to go straight to a finished figure. If you are happy with the “starter” sketch in regard to proportion/pose/scale, then you are sure to have much greater success with your finished character.
The head and the line that marks the neck and the midline of the torso is what i call the “lollipop.” It is the foundation of every sketch. Works like a charm. Then i add a horizontal shoulder line and hipline, stick arms and legs and basic triangles or similar shapes for hands and feet.
Faces start out like these simple “wireframe” templates and turn into fully realized characters. A basic oval, circle or rectangle is drawn for the overall face shape, then a vertical line is added to mark the middle of the face, and a horizontal line is added at the height where the eyes should go. It’s a super useful roadmap for creating symmetrical faces every time.
OK!! SO now you’ve got those basics planted in your brain and off you go. Hope you have fun crafting characters!!
-stephanie
LESSON 1 – GIRL STUFF
Drawing female characters is what i do most. There is no doubt about that. Despite the fact that my house is full of boys, my art always leans toward the feminine. What can you do? Certain features and details will help you make your characters look feminine. Generally, as you might imagine, feminine characters have more curves and less sharp angles. Full lips, prominent eyelashes, wisps of hair around the face, and delicate limbs are all great ways to add femininity.
Here, i’ve sketched out a mom and daughter. Make note of the basic proportions and the major differences between drawing a female adult and a female child. Basically, the child has a big head – relatively speaking : ) The child’s head is about 1/3 of the entire figure height the way i draw them. i find it pretty adorable. Big ol, wide-eyed, lollipop heads are so characteristic of my kiddos and are really fun to draw. Pudgy cheeks, legs, arms and neck (especially for very small children) are a must. Adult women are more an opportunity to draw long legs and cinched in waists. Think of fashion illustration a bit. Back in the day, i used to design wedding gowns, and i’ve loved drawing female pencil sketches ever since. It’s like my adult version of fashion plates. Dressing my characters is half the fun.
Here are some more specifics – remember, this is MY style of drawing and certainly not precise or anatomically correct. daVinci pretty much cornered the market on the proportionally correct human anatomy drawing anyways : )
Mom has broader shoulders and a longer, thinner neck. Her head is more proportional to the size of her body. Her eyes are set closer together and she has a pointier chin. She has a full top lip as well. Her legs and arms are delicate and well-articulated (defined knees, elbows, ankles…)
Daughter has narrower, more rounded shoulders and a shorter, chubbier neck. Her head is larger in proportion to her body. Her eyes are wide-set and she has a round or undefined chin. She has less defined lips, or sometimes, just a line to show her smile. Her arms and legs are chubbier, often with less noticeable joints.
In the sketch below, i’ve noted the facial features that i focus on when distinguishing adult from child. See the differences?
As i plan a drawing, i will often work out poses and angles using just very basic outlines and mapping gridlines until i get it where i want it, then i will go back in to add details once i’m happy. My planning sketches look something like the one below. See how few lines i start with? The simpler the better at the beginning stages because it helps you to see a clear picture of your characters, without a lot of clutter from too much detail too soon. At this stage, it is so easy to make changes since you’re only drawing very lightly. You can nudge the eyes up higher, beef up the lips, change the angles or fullness of the hairstyle. By working out these details early on, you will be free to focus on the individual details more in the next stage of your sketch; confident that your layout is awesome already.
The most fun comes at the end when i give the character’s a bit of life by adding lots of details like hairstyle, accessories, clothing and props to give the figures personality and a “story.” For my mom and daughter duo, i’ve decided on an artsy theme (go figure!). Mom is pretty much like me….a little bit of a free spirit type with long hair and a braid, painting canvas and brushes in hand, painting apron on with old school Chuck Taylor kicks. The daughter character is a little mini-me with a similar style and vibe; pigtail braids, cuffed jeans and an armful of paintbrushes. The bare feet were just too sweet to resist.
The drawing is important, sure. But creating a familiar character, or an engaging character, or a mysterious character is what makes your sketches come alive and what draws people in.
Here is a short video progression of how i mapped out and slowly refined these 2 ladies into their fully realized characters. i intentionally leave a lot of my sketchy lines in the finished drawing, because i think they add so much depth and charm. (click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
Draw from your own experiences. Let the people in your life inspire your characters…or people on the train, or in the grocery store. Imagination is awesome. But rooting your characters in real life is a great way to make them feel authentic and accessible.
LESSON 2 – GUY STUFF
OK, i know. i draw guys WAY less often than i draw girls. i admit it. What can ya do? But when i do draw male characters, i’ll tell you one thing, it’s more of a challenge. i have to work harder to make them look masculine. Maybe this is not the case for everyone. But my natural, innate drawing style is not hard and angular. So, it’s easy for me to give an overly feminine feel. Generally speaking, male characters are more about sharp angles and squared off shapes. Mouths are simplistic with lips represented by simple lines. Leave off the eyelashes, add sideburns and keep hair texture basic. Thicker limbs and broader shoulders really help to convey masculinity as well.
Here, i’ve sketched out a dad and son. Make note of the basic proportions and the major differences between drawing a male adult and a male child. Again, the kid has a big noggin and more pudgy form. Dad has a lot of squared off angles in his jaw, shoulders, nose. Curves are sparse, and i usually leave out eyelashes on him too. A bit of ruggedness is also achieved by keeping the hair a bit textural…and scruffy in spots.
Dad has a thick neck sloping into broad shoulders. His head is squarish & more proportional to the size of his body. His eyes are set closer together and he has a straight nose/line that runs right up to the browline. His top lip is little more than a line with a shaded area below the lower lip area. His legs and arms are sturdy and fairly straight, not curvy.
Son has narrower, more rounded shoulders and a shorter, chubbier neck. His head is larger in proportion to his body. His eyes are wide-set and he has a rounder or undefined chin. He has a very simple mouth; possibly just a line. His arms and legs are chubbier with less noticeable joints.
In the sketch below, i’ve focused on faces. Note the differences between male adult and child. But also note the differences from the female faces from Lesson 1.
Here are the simplified “wireframe” light pencil drawings that form the first underlayer of my sketch. The gridlines on the faces are invaluable to me. They keep my faces symmetrical and aligned. Trust me on this one. If you adopt this technique, you will avoid wonky, crooked faces, distorted perspective and ill-spacing of features forever.
And finally, the best part is the finishing. Who are my characters? Skater Dad and his mini-me. They are too cool for school. Dad is laid back, so he gets slightly floppy hair and long-ish sideburns. He gets a ringer baseball tee (probably from a surf shop – waves on the front). Leather bracelet, baggy board shorts, skater sneakers and a skateboard under his arm complete the look. The adorable mini-me gets tousled hair too, and a mini version of dad’s outfit. A sprinkle of freckles makes him look charmingly precocious.
Here is a short video progression of how i map out and slowly refine these 2 characters. Again, i intentionally leave a lot of the sketchy lines. They are kind of my favorite part. (click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
It was easy to flesh out all the small details for these characters, because i KNOW these people (or people like them) Draw what you know, what is familiar, and what is close to your heart.
LESSON 3 – POSES
You can draw characters in basic standing poses all day long. It’s fun and won’t get old because you can change the look of the characters SO much. Hairstyle, clothing, accessories, facial expression….it’s like playing dress-up and make-believe with a pencil and paper. The possibilities and combinations are endless.
HOWEVER, drawing dynamic poses takes the characters out of “mannequin mode” and inserts them into a story. A little boy character standing straight and tall is adorable and can show off some great clothing and a winning smile. The same little boy crouching like a frog inspires the imagination. Is he actually playing leapfrog? Is he studying bugs or worms in the garden? Did he lose the last tiny Lego for his latest creation? Who knows? But he keeps you engaged, right?
Here’s a use for Pinterest you may not have tapped before. SEARCH FOR POSES. Make a pin board for poses. Anytime you see a great pose, pin it! Then later, when you’re settling in to sketch, pop open that board and be inspired! i also use a mirror to model facial expressions or tilts of the head. When i need a pose modeled that i cannot find, i even use my kids! “Hey Coop! Can you put this cap on sideways and hold a pen like you are drawing??” Click! i snap a photo. : ) Instant gratification and a digital image to work from….isn’t he cute?
i know all artists work in their own unique way. Mine is pretty simplistic, tried and true. As i mentioned above, i sketch lightly, loosely and quickly to get basic shapes and angles laid down first. Then i start building up volume of each area. Finally, i use my blackest lines to refine the best curves, outlines and details.
i’ve seen some painters who sketch in a portrait and then work up the left side first in paint….so you can actually see the completed side of the face against the sketched side. i can’t work that way! : ) i’d never get it to match! For me, i like to look at the BIG picture the entire time, moving from area to area uniformly until i’m done. For me, this keeps the level of detail even across the entire drawing. ie – i don’t end up with a hyper-detailed face and Fred Flintstone simplistic hands and feet.
Here are some diagram/progressions of the very basic way i sketch shapes and forms at the start – then the finished characters that result.
Below, i show the stages by color. Green stage 1 is just a stick figure. Blue stage 2 adds the gridline for face and simples eyes, ears, nose and mouth, plus a beefing up of the “stick” limbs. In stage 3, a bit of style is added. Basic clothing shapes and hairline are roughed in. Finally, i add in all the details that make the drawing special.
And here are some fun poses i sketched up from inspiration photos on Pinterest and in magazines. See how every one of them starts as a lollipop (highlighted in green?) i’ve gotten to a point where i don’t always draw a super-precise stick figure first. But i ALWAYS do a sketchy skeleton of some sort.
Swimsuit girl is too cute! This pose was sketched from a photo found on Pinterest and i thought it was a great study in balance. Sunglasses can be tough to get at the right angle and to make both lenses the same size. Her arms really need to be balanced so that her one-legged stance doesn’t look like she’s about to fall over! Challenge yourself to a few poses that look “hard” to draw. You can do it!
Leaping girl is so full of life! i found that image on a google search and couldn’t resist. Giving movement to hair by allowing your wrist to be loose is a great exercise. Find some awesome hairstyle, yourself…ones with movement, or curl, or a unique shape. Get out of your comfort zone to draw something you think you can’t.
Finally, cartwheel boy…upside down!? i sketched the form just as you see it, but turned my page upside down to work on the face. It was so much easier for me that way! Tilted, or somersaulting or even figures that are lying down can mess with your eyes. They are not as intuitive to draw. SO try turning the page to check yourself as you give it a try.
Here is a little video showing how i go from a pose in a photograph, to a rough skeletal sketch that is ready for finishing.
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
LESSON 4 – ADORABLY MOODY KIDS
Childhood isn’t always a bed of roses. Pouty faces will inevitably come up when drawing kids. And while it’s easier to draw a smiley face on all your characters and call it a day, learning how to capture some basic emotions will really improve your sketches. It’s actually not too hard. Furrowed brows (diagonal lines that point inward toward the nose) convey anger. Turning down the corners of the mouth is plain unhappy. Eyebrows that slant downward toward the ears indicate sadness and uncertainty. With simple characters, you can’t rely on shading. You have just a few pencil strokes at the ready. ANd you have to find a way to use them to get your point across.
Here is a handy little graphic of different emotions/feelings you can convey on a face.
Overwhelmed – Bags under eyes paired with high, arched eyebrows gives a hopeless sort of look. The downturned mouth conveys unhappiness.
Amused – a wide, open-mouthed smile with teeth and tongue visible is the look of laughter and surprise. Add arched eyebrows and wide, round eyes with no eyelid shown, and you have an alert happy look.
Sleepy – The eyelids are visible and only half the eye is showing. Cutting the eye in half like this gives the look of a lowered eyelid. Peaked eyebrows look “clueless.” A round, open mouth showing tongue gives the look of a yawn.
Hopeful – The mouth says it all here. It’s the look a child gives a parent when asking to stay up an hour past bedtime. To show this fake toothy grin, you add the inverted dark triangles to each side of a wide smile. It gives the look of a toothy grin and forced wide smile where teeth only touch in the center. Couple that with wide, round eyes and arched brows, and who could resist!?
Irritated – “Mean” eyebrow on the left and skeptical, questioning eyebrow on the right….a winning combination for someone who is NOT buying what you’re selling. Add an off-center smirk with a downturned mouth and that “cheek crease” indicated by the short line at the side of the mouth. It makes a huge difference!
Smug – This is similar to what you’re feeling when you give an eye-roll. “Oh puh-lease!” Show half the eye to indicate a sort of boredom….”been there, done that.” And absolutely be sure that the mouth is off to one side for a classic smug smirk. Finish it off with the villainous arched, manicure eyebrows and you’ve got a truly unlikeable character.
Now, here are 2 cute characters in vastly different moods, and a little video demo where i sketch them out for you.
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
LESSON 5 – HANDS & FEET
When in doubt, hide the hands!!!
i’m only half kidding. i remember back in college, we had a life drawing class. The model would be in the middle of the room and we were to sit somewhere in the circle of chairs around them. i had one friend who would sit anywhere that didn’t give her a view of the model’s hands. Anything to avoid drawing hands!!!
When i draw my characters, i often leave the hands pretty basic. It suits the style of my drawings, so 3 cheers for that.
But i also know that hands are just forms you need to get familiar with. When i do my initial sketches, i always just focus on the overall shape and silhouette of the hand…the outline. i sketch in a triangle or square or a “mitten.” Yes!! Sketch the hand first as a mitten and then go back and define the fingers later. It takes so much pressure off and lets you keep your early sketches loosey-goosey.
Here are the basic OPEN hand positions i find myself sketching most often for my characters. It’s not so bad when you break it down into basic shapes and outlines! The palm is a circle. Draw a tall, skinny letter a shape up through it and you have the wrist/arm and the middle finger. Keep that middle finger the tallest and draw the other fingers beside it. Then add a bit of a triangular thumb to one side. Keep practicing over and over til it is like second nature.
The open hand has the same first steps. But if you sketch (or imagine) a larger circle as a guide. You will easily be able to draw fanned out fingers that are the correct length.
Here are some hands that come up almost as often. a) “We’re number one!” (Otherwise known as the pointer finger gesture) and b) “Thumbs up, man!” Both still have a circle palm base. But for these, the fingers that are folded inward resembled cocktail weenies, or baby carrots, if you’re vegetarian. : ) Practice these hands also. Conquer the fear!
Lastly, i’ve got a random assortment of other useful hand positions i use a lot in my drawings. Promise you won’t just skim over these, but that you will give them a try. They will be endlessly useful. Trust me, there are only so many characters that look natural with their hands tucked behind their backs.
OK, that was the hard part. If you got through that, you are golden. Feet are so much easier and cuter to draw than hands ; ) i’m a bit of a shoe hater. i think they’re cute and all. But if i could go barefoot every day, i absolutely would. i actually think it’s socks i despise. But that’s irrelevant right now. : ) Let’s just say i LOVE to draw barefooted characters. And shoes are pretty fun to draw also. So let’s dive right in.
the foot generally will look like a triangle or a wonky trapezoid.
i find that you most often need to draw:
– the top of the foot (if the character has one leg extended)
– the side view of the foot
– and the front(toebox) view of the foot
Bottoms of feet are also very sweet to draw, but other angles are vastly under-used…at least by me. Use the examples above as a quick reference of these angles of the foot and how to draw them.
Finally, here is a good example of a character who is showing off her hands and feet to the fullest! And a fun video showing how much easier it is than you think to achieve it.
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
LESSON 6 – HAIR
AH, my favorite! Drawing hair can be pretty tricky, because it’s easy to go overboard and show every, single strand. Then your drawing looks really heavy-handed and probably pretty messy. The trick with hair is “less is more.” Wisps, strand detail only at the tips, or maybe where the hair is parted. You want to get the silhouette correct so that you’re showing overall shape and volume, not every follicle and wave.
Here is a chart showing a few hairstyles, translated to their essential details. You’ll notice that the guys have short, stubby strokes that don’t connect. The girls have more of a smooth, curvy look and the tips of the hair connect more. i usually take some artistic license with hair too. i make it bigger, or longer than real life. i make braids chunkier and bangs thicker. i emphasize sideburns and hairlines. It is often the HAIR that makes or breaks a character. So pay attention to it and let it fly in the wind, and be bouncy and twirly by all means!
Here is a sketch showing some hairstyles i chose for this big sister and her little bro. The video that follows shows several other style options and techniques for drawing them.
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
LESSON 7, 8 & 9 – CHARACTERS THAT AREN’T QUITE HUMAN
i wanted to demo a few whimsical characters for everybody after i got all the basics out of the way. So the following lessons are entirely video. Knowing the basics of drawing people will come in handy when you’re drawing fantasy characters, and animals with human traits. Just try to stay loose and draw for YOURSELF. DO what makes YOU happy.
Fairy
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
Monsters
Here are some inky guys i made last year. Feel free to get some ideas for shapes and faces based on these. i know for me, i don’t INSTANTLY get a million monster ideas when i sit down to draw them. But my sons consistently request monsters to color, so naturally, i oblige.
Here is a sketchy guy i made for our demo though. Please note that the design of this dude was art directed by my 8 year old : )
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
Animals
Animals are such fun characters to create. You get to decide how “human” to make them. What characteristics will be highlighted to really identify the animal you choose? What creative choices and additions can you make to give your animal personality and quirk? The possibilities are endless. You can really get lost in the process.
i made this little ink + watercolor for a friend’s new baby a few years ago. The larger dude represents big brother and the baby in the wagon is the new addition. When i gifted it, i added the boys’ names below the art, and framed it for their room. i’m not exactly sure what animal i was drawing…..a bunny? bear? But i sure did like these hipster fuzzies in the end. i chose the stylish wardrobe because the couple on the receiving end are very stylish folks. i chose ink and watercolor because it felt sort of European-vintage children’s book in nature….like an heirloom.
What do you think? How would you do a similar piece of art in a style all your own? What animal would you choose?
Here is a little ostrich i sketched up for the animal demo. i don’t know why i like ostriches so much. i think i like the texture of their feathers. They look so soft and fluffy. i also like their big, round, dark eyes. If you haven’t noticed by now, i sort of love big ol’ eyeballs : )
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
LESSON 10 – GETTING A LIKENESS
i think one of the things people enjoy most about creating characters, is creating them in the likeness of people they love. Making a birthday card with a friend immortalized on the front creates a keepsake. Sketching your kiddos in a silly holiday scene makes and excellent Christmas card. And don’t even get me started on the possibilities for birthday invites! : ) The above watercolors are just a sampling of a kazillion i did last year for Play Date Calling Cards (yep, like biz cards for kids so parents can easily swap contact info for playdates and birthday party invites, etc). These are a classic example of how i draw most often. i create a character that is reminiscent of a person….but not exact. It is simplified and stylized. It will show your artistic style.
Here are two examples of cartoon superheroes i did last year in the likeness of some pretty cute kiddos. You can see that the idea is to give a hint of the person you are drawing, but not to create a detailed, exacting portrait. You want folks to say, “Hey! That looks like my Susie! How fun!”
Here are 2 examples of sketches that bear a likeness to their source photo and a video demo showing my tips for how to go about it.
(click the image below and enter password: sketchysketch to watch)
BONUS DISCUSSION – FINDING YOUR STYLE + TAPPING INTO YOUR CREATIVITY
The characters below are really indicative of my personal style. A mixture of sketchy/messy line-work characters and my colorful, acrylic paintings in the background. i combine the elements digitally. i arrived at this particular style after lots of experimenting with markers, pencils, inks, watercolor. And i still use all of those things! But i’ve really gotten to a point where i lean to this particular combo a lot. It combines my favorite things. : ) SO! The question is; What is YOUR style? What lights YOU up and keeps you motivated to create more and more? You’ll know you’ve found it when you are already planning the next project when you’re still in the middle of the current one! haha!
SKETCHBOOKS
SO, how can you hone in on your style? i think there is only one way – make art.
Specifically, i’d suggest that you buy a stack of sketchbooks and start filling them. Don’t be lazy about it. Draw from life. Draw animals. Draw family members. Draw cartoon characters you know. Make up some of your own. Add watercolor, or marker, or crayon. Do you prefer color to B&W? DO you like paint?
By the time you’ve filled a couple books, you should be able to flip through and see where you shine. It will probably be obvious which styles you gravitate toward. If not, well…..keep sketching anyway : ) It has taken me about 5 years to feel like i KNOW what m y style is. And even now, it’s still evolving. My taste and decisiveness is more solid, i just make additions and refinements now. If you saw the sketch page below, would you know it was mine? hmmmm….
INSPIRATION
When filling your sketchbooks, you are sure to hit artist’s block. (yep, it’s just like writer’s block) So try to jot down keywords as inspiration whenever an idea strikes. i keep a running list of words and themes in the back of my sketchbook on the inner cover. The flower characters below were part of an assigment for an online course i was taking. It’s the same idea. These ladies were my translation of a flower theme. WHat would flower characters look like if YOU drew them? They’d be different than mine, right? How? Explore that!
Inspiration can be simple too. Knowing that my characters are often very cute and round and friendly….i jotted the words “angular/serious” one day. Then i drew this character in response. i enjoyed pushing myself beyond my typical, comfortable tendencies.
ADD ENVIRONMENT
Create supporting characters and scenery for your characters to give them a sense of place. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for your finished art. You can create wall art, cards, storybooks for your kids. Plus, it’s great exercise for your brain to really develop a character and their world in your mind. The character will be the better for it.
PERSONALITY
Don’t make flat, dull, boring characters!! Draw characters you’d want to interact with. It makes a difference!! Personally, i like goofballs. Robot dance anyone?? i don’t actually have a little girl, but my boys and i can bust out a mean robot dance party!
STYLE
Again, jeans and t-shirt are cool, but if you hone in on a specific fashion sense and style for your characters, you will connect with people so much more. They may see parts of themselves in your art and that can make all the difference. i was explaining the hipster style to my 8 year old a little while back. He’s pretty interested in picking his own clothes these days! So i had that conversation in my brain when i made this sketch below.
TELL A STORY
Still stumped for inspiration? Create a character to tell a story. It can be a classic story or your own creative writing….or maybe your kids’ writing! Close your eyes and picture the character you’ve read about. What do they look like? What are they wearing? Are they happy or sad? Now translate that vision into a character sketch. Even the very rough drafts of drawings like these can become cherished memories. Seeing the rough sketch will bring you back to the moment when you created the art. DO this exercise with your kids or loved ones….label and date your sketches. Trust me, you will NOT regret it. i look back on sketches i made with my oldest son back when he was in kindergarten and am instantly transported back to the time together.
Continuity of Character
While we are on the topic of stories, i just wanted to close with a few tips for keeping continuity when your aim is to draw the same character in several poses and situations.
Tip 1 – work up all the characters simultaneously. ie – sketch all the loose forms first, then go back and add the bodies and gridlines, then go back and do all the faces, then bodies. It really works bc you have this “muscle memory” and focus on each specific feature and can recreate it over an over more easily when you move right from one face to the next to the next
Tip 2 – PROPORTION!!! be sure you don’t have long legs in drawing 1 and short ones in drawing 2. If you see all your sketches in front of you at once, you will more easily identify when one figure is looking out of whack with the others when it comes to proportion
Tip 3 – Spatial Relationships + Consistency of facial features. Wide set eyes? Be sure you are consistent. Six freckles on a button nose? Don’t switch it up to 4 freckles on a little pointy nose all of a sudden when your angle shifts. Short upper lip and longer chin? Don’t lose that spatial relationship, no matter what angle or perspective you are drawing from.
Tip 4 – Defining features. This one is a cheat. Create a character that is NOT GENERIC! If your character has orange braids, freckles, a feather headband, etc…..she will be easily recognizable across illustrations just based on those recognizable features! Even if you flub a proportion, you’d still have a character that is identified at a glance.
* and in the case of character age progression like below, similar clothing(stripey shirt and pinata dress), similar hairstyle(side pigtails), and at least one defining feature (like the freckles) can really help.
PRACTICE SHEETS
Click HERE to download a multi-page PDF file with the practice templates you see below. Keep a few of these tucked in your purse or in your sketchpad for mini practice sessions anytime you have a spare moment. i hope you have soooo much fun creating characters, Thanks for allowing me to share my love of sketching with you!!
15-Minute Minis – How many ways can you differentiate these basic mini figures? go crazy!
Faces + Hair – i’ve got the forms done for you – so you can focus on the details. How many characters and hairstyles can you create?
Fake It til You Make It – here are some basic figure templates to trace or sketch over til you get the hang of it if you like : )
Fancy Feet – a reference page pulled from the lesson to use for inspiration or for tracing if you need extra help. * i get more people saying they have trouble with feet than anything else, so this seemed like a good extra : )
